So many records and so little time...

to post.

Let's get this started.

The Black Heeart Procession - Six

I am a huge fan of the Black Heart Procession's earlier work, but they have let me down over the years. The dirge-ridden and plodding tracks gave way to up-beat and overly thematic songs. The BHP return to the numbering system with their newest record and a few of the tracks return to their old nature as well. When the tempo increases,however, the music loses it's impact. There's no overbearing spectre or ghost behind your back on most the record, but 'Liar's Ink" and "Iri Sulu" are worth a spell. They are full of foreboding, fear, and haunting. These tracks are certainly worthy of the oncoming wintery weather.

Grade: 4.1

Zero 7 - Yeah Ghost

Zero 7 is another group who's releases have been less stellar as of late; although, they have not had many releases to mention. There is more depth of production on Yeah Ghost, but the whole of the album is not that good. While including more variances in style, they lose what they do best in most cases. Several tracks have a feeling of trying to do too much. Superfluous beats and a too contemporary feel make the record feel like it'd be better suited on VH-1 than an in a loungey set. The melodies are also missing with many of the tracks. When they do pull of quality songs it is with the methods that made them so great to begin with. The organ sound of "The Road" and the bounce of "Swing" are what you are looking for from Zero 7.

Grade: 3.8

Golden Ghost - The Unimaginative Body

Coming from Endicott, New York, Golden Ghost embodies a plugged-in farmers' market group with a lot of style and substance. Laura Goety's voice and talent are clearly present as is her spirit. The music has an ethereal psyche feel to it but with more depth to the sound which gives it more body. This psyche group is capable of so much more that daydreamy crap and I have to admit that I really dig their earthy sound. I kept "Plain Sight," "If You Are In Love Then Why Are You Aslpeep," and "Russet, Citrine, Olive & Black."

Grade: 5.6

Way Out Sounds

Jake Holmes - The Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes (1967)

Never heard of Jake Holmes? Surely, you've heard one of his songs then! He wrote the "Be a Pepper" jingle with Randy Newman and the "softer side of Sears" riff that is still in use today. More importantly, he wrote "Dazed and Confused." That's right the Led Zeppelin song, which Jimmy Page stole and never gave credit for. Jake didn't care enough to pursue it past a letter, but those who do love music it's interesting to hear a much darker version of the song. Jake is like the Townes Van Zandt of the psyche world of the late 1960s: great melodies and songwriting, but never quite accepted past his pure talent. It's worth it for "Dazed and Confuse" itself, but also worth listening to "Signs of Age," "Lonely," and "Wish I Was Anywhere Else."

Grade: 5.9

Pleq - The Fallen Love
Minimal IDM made with organic sounds making wonderful use of the silence yet incorporating ambient noise to build tension throughout. Some good tracks here from Pleq. Who is Pleq? He is 25 year-old Bartek Intelligible based out of Katowice, Poland. The overall feeling from his songs is that of Angelo Badalamenti's background music from Twin Peaks with elements of glitch. Not Moby's crappy "Go" version of "Laura Palmer's Dream," but a dirty, ominous, and true representation of that same feeling of foreboding. Pleq does utilize vocals occassionally, but the creepy factor is increased exponentially for those tracks and it's a bit much. My one issue with Pleq is that the music does seem a bit too constructed at times and not as alive as the sounds that carry it. After a few tracks you realize that nearly all the spaces are measured and too exact-varying these spaces, even by the 1/100th of a second can breathe so much more life into songs. When all said and done I chose to keep "The Fragment in My Life," "Do You Remember Your Dreams," "Pleq is Dead," and the title track "The Fallen Love" is good too.

Grade: 6.0

Dizzee Rascal - Tongue N' Cheek
I love, love, love Dizzee Rascal. On his first record, 2003's Boy in da Corner, he amazingly produced the beats and spit vocal like a veteran: he was 17. Now he is a veteran, and he's using the beats of such club legends of Armand Van Helden, Calvin Harris, and Tiesto for the majority of his tracks. This leaves time for Dizzee to concentrate on his rhymes. While his frenetic vocals occassionally get in the way of the tracks, he is contuing to mature and allow for more space. Dizzee is nothing else if not focused and his track record of putting out a new album every eight months or so proves this. Even more amazingly, these records are usually not lacking in quality. The herky/jerky bangers are still there and ready to pump you up for a night out at the club. I kept "Bonkers," "Dance Wiv Me," and "Holiday."


Grade: 6.9

Some more records real quick...

Dirty Projectors-Temecula Sunrise

So, Dirty Projectors released one of the "albums of the Summer," according to a lot of bloggers, this year; well, they are now back with an EP. I have one pretty serious question: Why does it have "Cannibal Resource" on it again? I hate that! This EP is a waste and Dirty Projectors are one of the most over-rated acts out there. They re-use samples and sounds so often that the tracks begin to meld into one long painful cacophony of garbage. Nothing is worth your time here.

Grade: 1.2 (only for "Cannibal Resource" being on it)

Real Estate-Real Estate
Is this what we need? Another soft-rock indie rock band from Jersey? I say why not, but they better be good. They aren't great, but they have talent. The songs really aren't that impressive and the production is way too twangy (I can still feel the strings vibrating somewhere in my chest), unedited, and really just not that good. There is a general feeling of possibility-like when you listen to Death Cab for Cutie's You Can Play These Songs with Chords. I suppose this is the result of too-early hype and the rush to put out a record. If you want to hear their best, then seek out the tracks "Fake Blues" and maybe "Black Lake" or "Let's Rock the Beach." Good luck!

Grade: 3.7

Cate Le Bon-Me Oh My

Welsh-born Cate Le Bon brings her dark imagery and subject matter together with a light musical style that can go from psychedelic melancholy to dementia in a matter of seconds, see: "Burn Until the End." It always seems like one piece of a chord progression is a bit off-like an ice cream truck that has a warped note on it's jingle. Cate's voice is entrancing like a Joni Mitchell of the night. It takes on the personality of the music quite well going from dark and foreboding to light and seemingly unaware of the words that are coming forth. I kept the title track "Me Oh My," "It's Not the End," and the aforementioned "Burn Until the End."

Grade: 6.8

Back & with more ideas

Sorry for the break, but drama intervened and now we're back. I was thinking about the format for what we've been writing about and have decided to branch out and include all media. I take in at least one new thing per day and I have the same high standards to apply to TV, film, and video games that I do to music. For my first post back, though-we'll stick with the tunes though.

Lake - Let's Build a Roof

Lake are labeled a psyche-pop band and come from Olympia, Wa. It's a surprise I know, but K Records put this out too. Seriously, I really liked parts of this record. It is smooth and lovely with less of the kitsch-y psyche crap that makes me generally dislike the genre as a whole. If you like Hem or even Flunk, then you'll like Lake. I kept "Loose Wind," and "Gravel."

Grade: 5.3

Jim Ward - In the Valley, On the Shores EP

You remember Jim Ward. He was the lead guitar in perhaps one of the best bands of the early 00's: At the Drive-In. Sure, he went on to form Sparta and be moderately successful, but this is Jim Ward on his own and it is not what you are used to hearing. The record is bare, raw, and full of emotion consisting mainly of Ward's tender vocals and acoustic guitar. There is a brightness to the record and it is a testament to his talents. Since it is an EP, I kept the whole thing because each track was powerful in it's own way.

Grade: 7.2

Alec Ounsworth - Mo Beauty

The unique vocalist for Clap You Hands Say Yeah has produced a record with plenty of depth that, while it's hard to immediately take in, is incredibly interesting. The music is stripped down, unamplified, and more bare than we are used to, The progressions and timing are also recognizable. What really stands out to me on this record is the slower more delicate moments, while the more uptempo tracks seem to take away from the overall feeling of the record. Alec has an air of Bob Dylan at times with slurred vocals and drawls that create emotion and give the music a lot of distinction. I kept "Modern Girl," "Holy,Holy, Holy Moses," "What Fun.," and "Obscene Queen Bee."

Grade: 6.2

Unplanned Hiatus...

I must apologize for being away so long...a move, the failure of a trusty hard-drive, and mounting have pulled me away from the site. I promise to be back with a ton of updates later this week!

Massive Attack -Splitting The Atom EP

Massive Attack is one of the few trip-hop to still be standing (the other being Portishead). They haven't had a huge hit in quite some time, but due to the brilliance of Mezzanine masterpieces "Teardrop" and "Angel" they will forever have a place in the history of downtempo electronic music. WIth that said, I just had my first listen to Splitting The Atom EP and I wasn't really impressed. The first track "Splitting The Atom" sounds like Leonard Cohan/Gorillaz amalgam that really goes nowhere. I think if the song had a better hook in the chorus this track could be interesting but it's a little predictable and tends to linger on the same progression throughout the entire 5:18 of the track. "Pray For Rain" features Tunde Adebimpe of TV On The Radio and the tune almost sounds like a TVOTR song. Minor piano chords keep the track nice and moody but again we hear a single progression that just goes on forever. The one saving grace of the EP is "Psyche (Van Rivers & The Subliminal Kid Remix)" featuring Martina Topley Bird. This track is in the vein of Teardrop (it even has a simliar drum beat and tempo) and really carries some depth with Bird's soulful voice and catchy melody. Granted, this remixed version isn't perfect but I image the original version of the song will be mindblowing. All and all I wouldn't waste my time with the EP. Wait for LP5 this Jan. I have a feeling it may be brilliant but then again that could be wishful thinking.

Grade: 5.8
Standout Track(s): Psyche (Van Rivers & The Subliminal Kid Remix)

SPIN Presents Purplish Rain

SPIN released a nice little tribute for Prince's Purple Rain recently and I just wanted to highlight it reel quick (get what I did there with the word pun? You know, because it was a movie soundtrack too?!). It features some well-knowns like the Twilight Singers and Of Montreal as well as some up-and-comers like Chairlift & Lavender Diamond. Click the image above to go to the site or use this link if you're feeling lazy: here. The password to put in the spot is 'keyboardist' (no quotes). They'll send you a link to confirm your email address and download the album. Check it out!

Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

Wild Beasts are another much-hyped band from the UK looking to break into the yankee market. If you're a fan of Bat for Lashes-esque theatrics or a near poly-sexual vocal style then you'll love Wild Beasts. The music contains more melody than Bat for Lashes and is therefore more pleasing overall, but it is still more of a mood-requiring sound that utilizes sparse instrumentation to create dense and almost primal sounds that contrast nicely with the smooth vocals of Hayden Thorpe. Tracks like "The Fun Powder Pot" or "We Still Got The Taste Dancing On Our Tongues" feature a steady plodding rhythm based background throughout, but some are deeper require more attention than like the first single "Hooting and Howling." While I'm really not a fan, I'd certainly recommend Wild Beasts to someone who is truly interested in more than just a catchy hook.

I kept:

"The Fun Powder Plot"

"Hooting and Howling"

"All the Kings Men"

"We Still Got The Taste Dancing On Our Tongues"

Grade: 5.7

No New EP From Radiohead

It's 2:30am and I just decided to check wallofice.com. To my surprise, the new leaked track (These Are My Twisted Words) has been posted on Radiohead's digital store as a free download. So, the enigmatic message was nothing more than to introduce the bands latest (and free) single. No EP unfortunately, but at least the new track sounds decent enough.

NEW RADIOHEAD EP OUT MONDAY?

So, the code has been cracked and it appears we may have a new Radiohead EP on the horizon (Monday to be exact). On August 12th, the track "THESE ARE MY TWISTED WORDS" was leaked with some cryptic message (see below). Someone figured out a hidden web address based on message and discovered the site: http://www.wallofice.com, which interestingly enough takes you to Radiohead's digital store. Coincidence I think not. Keep your eyes peeled and head over to wallofice.com on Monday morning.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
iiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiii
iiiiiii radiohead - these are my twisted words iiiiiii
iiiiiii iiiiiii
iiii artist.......radiohead iiii
iiii title........these are my twisted words iiii
iiii label........?????????? iiii
iiii cat.nr.......????????? iiii
iiii style........'dificult' iiii
iiii nr of tracks.1 iiii
iiii total length..5.32 iiii
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
iiii audio source.CD Advance iiii
iiii encoder......LAME 3.93 iiii
iiii quality......320kbps/44.1kHz/Joint Stereo iiii
iiii size.........12,70 MB iiii
iiii ripper.......sca[GG]er iiii
iiii rls.date.....2009-08-17 iiii
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
iiii i just wanted to reassure readers iiii
iiii that following representations iiii
iiii seeking confirmation iiii
iiii that before your very eyes iiii
iiii behind the wall of ice iiii
iiii that the box is not under threat iiii
iiii however they are set to remove iiii
iiii other boxes iiii
iiii in fact i have the list in front of me iiii
iiii i went to a briefing on their plans iiii
iiii and challenged them to tell me iiii
iiiii exactly what the cost would be iiiiiii
iiiiii iiiiiiii
iiiiiii they spoke in broad terms iiiiiiiiii
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
iiiiiiiiiii we're looking for: talented puppeteers iiiiiiiiiii
iiiiiiiiii worms, disgruntled executives, sacked flies iiiiiiiiii
iiiiiiii genres: doomcore, folktronica, ukf iiiiiiii
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Flunk - This Is What You Get

The Norwegian pop group Flunk has made a career off of beautiful covers and the fact that their new record's name is taken directly from one of the most popular songs from arguably the greatest band of our era shouldn't come as a surprise. What does surprise is the level of the non-cover tracks on Flunks new record. The late-era electronic feel is oddly comforting in a weird trip-hop reminiscent way. As stagnant as most current era Trip Hop groups are, Flunk has managed to elevate their music to something with a better disposition. The record starts out with the very strong "Dying to See You" and "Common Sense," but achieves nothing more than mediocre until track six "Speedskating." After that, "Karma Police" is the last vestige of brilliance on the record. Ok, unfortunately it's not except for it's novelty. This version is sparse and not too exciting to be fair, but Anja Oyen Vister's voice keeps it interesting in a Nico-ean way. Gone is the smoothness of most of the rest of the record and all of the rough edges seem to be exposed on this track. It's worth one listen, really, as is most of this record.

I kept:

Dying to See You

Common Sense

Speedskating

Grade: 4.4

Jesse Rose - What Do You Do If You Don't?

Jess Rose is a British beat-maker based in Berlin who has a new head-boppin' release made almost specifically for short attention spans. The beats are mostly straight ahead and glitchy, but there are really too many different feels on the record. Ranging from glitchy dance, ala Justin Timberlake, to turntableism style sampling, and even near trance it's a virtual clown car of styles. The collaborations with Hot Chip, "Forgot My Name" & "Day is Done," is worth a name check at least and the understated pushing of the beat in "Pop Your Porn" makes me want to watch my MPG go down as the white lines go by faster. "Miss Taker" features remixer David E. Sugar and is a dance-floor banger. "Night at the Dogs" features an all too familiar jazz sample and "You're All Over My Head" starts off reminiscent of early Aphex works but takes a strange turntableism slant that is truly hokey. For all of the styles in here, I'd have to say Jesse Rose doesn't excel at any really. Maybe a little more focus would make the record more cohesive.

I kept:

Pop Yer Porn

Miss Taker (feat. David E. Sugar)

Grade: 3.8

Pitchfork's #1 album of the 90's

The guys over at Pitchfork have created a very respectable top 100 albums of the 90's. The number one album went to Radiohead's OK Computer. I'm happy to see something besides Nirvana's Nevermind at the top of the list (that's right Spin, I'm talking to you).
Check it here

New Radiohead track

...speaking of Radiohead. I found this new track the other day. It's a tribute to the last living British soldier who fought in World War I. Here's a YouTube video of the song and you can purchase it at their site for 1 quid! Is August going to be Radiohead month?

Radiohead Done With Albums!?

Just when you think we may be getting another great concept album from the mighty Radiohead in the coming years, Thom York has to go and tell the masses they're moving on from that approach stating, "None of us want to go into that creative hoo-ha of a long-play record again. Not straight off." So, then it's true. The CD is officially dead and the one band keeping it alive has abandoned the idea. I suppose this was inevitable but still quite sad considering we may never experience a Radiohead album the same again. At least we'll be seeing a plethora of singles from the band in the upcoming months but damn, I miss the concept album.
You can read the entire article on The Believer's website here

SPIN'S 20 GREATEST ALBUMS OF 2009 ... SO FAR

Below is Spin's top 20 record of '09 (thus far). Its quite the conundrum considering they've left off some obviously good records of '09. Not to mention, we still have five months left to the year. Makes one wonder what Spin's true intentions were for doing this so early. Perhaps they wanted people to see just how irrelevant they truly are. I'm actually surprised Dave Matthews didn't make it on the list personally.

SPIN'S 20 GREATEST ALBUMS OF 2009 ... SO FAR
Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart
Peter Bjorn And John - Living Thing
Blk Jks - Mystery
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Mastodon - Crack The Skye
Amadou & Mariam - Welcome To Mali
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Regina Spektor - Far
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Glasvegas - Glasvegas
Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications
Bat For Lashes - Two Sun
Mavado - Mr. Brooks... A Better Tomorrow
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Sa-Ra Creative Partners - The Age Of Love
Antony And The Johnsons - The Crying Light

Here's a few of my favorites so far, but I'm not making any top 20 lists til the end of the year.

Fever Ray - (Self Titled)
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
Bibio -Ambivalence Avenue
Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
Dinosaur Jr -Farm
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Dark Was The Night -(Various Artists)
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Dntel - Early Works for Me If It Works For You II

La Roux - La Roux

La Roux is a British synth-pop duo that is slowly (not really that slowly) coming your way. The hype that precedes them is actually gargantuan and has that unmistakably corporate taste to it. They're slogan is Synth-Pop: This Time withe Even Less Soul! Ok, not really...

Don't get me wrong because I see the appeal. I love to dance (as my girlfriend can certainly attest) and I love the great upbeat, yet apathetic, feel that is usually present in synth-pop, but La Roux just feels like something hastily thrown together to me. Elly Jackson's voice leaves a lot to be desired as it dips and wavers through the tracks and more often than not she fails to fully show any desparation which is a hallmark of great synth-pop. They may have incredible amounts of emotion coming off the stage, but it does not come accross on record. Surely, there are some gems present, but I don't feel like they have the legs to warrant mention 10 or even 5 years from now.

I kept:
In for the Kill
Quicksand
Bulletproof

Grade: 5.6

Lee Mayfield & the Expressions - My World

It seems like most my music conversations recently have been complaining about how there have been no truly great releases this year. While I wouldn't call My World a great release, it is tolerable enough to where I do not want to turn it off and I can listen to the entire record several times in a row (which is rare). It is a true soul record in a time of souless music and I think that is what appeals to me most about My World.

Nicknamed "the Little J.B." in the 70s, Lee Mayfield has been making music since 1969 (there's another 40-year anniversary for you Apollo Mission!). Turntablists renewed interest over the last several years and Mayfield went into the studio with a new band, the Expressions, consisting of studio musicians who have recorded with everyone from Amy Winehouse to TV on the Radio to record a new record. They have created an organic and deep soul record for the new age. Mostly ballads, the record is full of emotion and genuine feeling. Mayfield's voice is incredible and evokes a time that I, and most of us missed, regrettable missed. It was a true time of Change and cultural revolution. When people said things and backed up their words with action. I think about the movie Dead Presidents or Baadassss! as inspiration.

Thanks to Peanut Butter Wolf and Stonesthrow Records who have unleashed this gem on us.

I kept the whole album, because I want to continue to hear it. I'd recommend "Honey Dove," "My World is Empty Without You," & the title track "My World."

Grade: 8.2

Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue

I'm always keeping tabs on Bibio and his unusual amalgam of Boards of Canada infused Folktronica. He's got great ideas and amazing soundscapes imbedded in his music, yet, for some reason, he's really fallen victim of being a one trick pony over the years, or at least until now. With Ambivalence Avenue, we've got a whole new Bibio. We still hear Stephen Wilkinson's trademark guitar lines and ambience (field recordings/found sounds) buried within, but now we see a much more diverse artist begin to emerge. Infusing elements of glitch-hop, psychedelic folk, and even funk into the mix, we start to see the limitations once hindering this creative soul dissolve. From the opener "Ambivalence Avenue", we're given an upbeat, folk-driven (yet very melodic) psychedelic track that just hints at what's to come. As we get to "Jealous of Roses" we're introduced to the funkier side of Bibio. Border-lining on something you'd hear on a Ween album, this track is definitely one of the more unusual pieces on the record, but honestly it works with its low-fi production and syncopated beat. "All The Flowers" is the next tune and it’s a complete change from the past two. Both short and sweet, this little ditty could almost be confused for a Simon and Garfunkle song. As we approach "Fire Ant", we get a glimpse into Bibio's latest influence, glitch-hop. Perhaps because this is Bibio's Warp Records debut, or perhaps he because he’s just has taken a liking to some of the other artists on the Warp label like Prefuse 73 and Jackson and His Computer Band, we’re hearing a much more upbeat and glitchy record than Bibio’s predecessors. The next track, "Haikuesque (When She Laughs)" is by far my favorite on the record. Both soft and melodic, this track flows beautifully and will leave you craving more by the time its over. As the tracks progress we keep getting new surprises. "Sugarette" has to be one of the more experiemental tracks here with its breakbeat feel and syncopated drum sounds (think Aphex Twin Windowlicker). "Lovers Carvings" is probably my least favorite on the record. It’s a short and sweet folky, guitar ditty that turns into poppy tune about 1:29 into the track. Its decent enough but did little to move me emotionally like many of the other tracks did. On "Abrasion", we hear the Simon and Garfunkle folk sound so prevalent in earlier songs. It's melodic but again nothing fancy. "S'Vive" is another brilliant glitch-laden track with funky bass sounds and vocal samples (I can almost dance to it). By the time we reach the last few tracks we approach "Cry ! Baby !". A mellow, alt rock slow jam that soon becomes quite psychedelic with deep synths driving at the chorus. The last track on the record "Dwrcan", sounds the most reminiscent of Boards of Canada on the album. The track is downtempo, dark and carries a cinematic feel to it. All and all this is a really intruiging piece of work by Bibio. If Ambivalence Avenue is the address to Bibio's newfound creativity let’s hope he doesn’t move for a long, long time.

Standout Tracks: "Haikuesque (When She Laughs)", "Fire Ant", "Sugarette", "S'Vive", "Cry ! Baby !", "Dwrcan"
Grade: 8.2

Most Over-Hyped Album of '09

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
This album has won the praise of both Stereogum and Pitchfork (9.2!). Stereogum has even proclaimed it to be, possibly, the best album of 2009.
The problem: The song structure is often dull and repetitive (the woozy 3 part vocals becomes an easily redundant element in the bands jam-band formula), the guitar riffs are often reoccurring and uninspiring, and the songs themselves lack any real direction. This album is more of a collage of sound than a cohesive album build upon the idea of good songwriting. The hippies may like the looseness of the tracks and the tribal feel of the raw, spare beats but I personal don't wear patchouli.